AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli complained about the officiating and the amount of breaks during the game against Roma, insisting he is unhappy with a point despite the circumstances.
The game had been bereft of attacking quality for the full 90 minutes and then it exploded into life during the seven that were added, with Tammy Abraham giving Roma the lead after a well-taken goal where he beat Pierre Kalulu and fired into the bottom corner.
Just as it looked like the majority of the over 50,000 crowd would be going home happy, Milan stunned the Giallorossi just as they had at San Siro in January. A cross from Rafael Leao on the left wing sailed to the far post where substitute Alexis Saelemaekers was on hand to tuck in from close range.
Pioli spoke to DAZN after the game to try and dissect what was a rather flat 90 minutes followed by a chaotic additional seven, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
How do you judge the game?
“We did not play badly, but we certainly lacked the right moves at the right time. We controlled the match, took the initiative and then didn’t make the most of the chances we created in the final third with a bit more determination, sharpness and focus.
“We know Roma rarely concede at home, the more time went on, the more difficult it became. It is not the result we wanted, but we managed to recover a result that could’ve been truly negative, especially considering the performance.
Are you happy with the point?
“I believed in the win. Weird match. 106 minutes were played, 49 effective [with the ball actually in play]. This is my issue: it’s difficult to have rhythm, too many breaks, it doesn’t let us play. It’s a point that changes little, but now we’re trying to get points against Cremonese.”
Mourinho said it’s two points lost…
“Us too. He means we all go home unhappy tonight.”
What was missing tonight?
“We lacked the play, the final ball, we lacked a bit of rhythm. Too many times we went straight out wide, instead we had to move the ball inside. We can do better, but to give the game rhythm it takes two…
“It is clear that I want a faster ball movement, but to have a rhythm you need two teams that play a certain type of football and far fewer interruptions than there have been.”
Did you make little use of Leao?
“Yes. I wish Rafa – it is true that he is often unstoppable – had asked for the ball a bit more in behind. When we played with speed we created dangerous situations. We wanted victory, but the team he fought and played.”
What should and shouldn’t AC Milan do in May?
“With today’s game, we’ll play 7 games in 21 days. We need to think one game at a time. The Champions League dream is in the drawer and we’ll bring it out at the right time.
“This week has started well, but now we have Cremonese and then all the other teams in Europe are having difficulties. If we want to get into the top four, we need to accelerate more.”
Did you like Leao?
“Yes, but I could have been like that on other occasions too. He could have played more short shots, but he played an excellent match. Rafa is fine, he’s really important for us.”
